Home
Resources
Publications
The Properties of Ion Channels Formed by the Coumarin Antibiotic, Novobiocin, in Lipid Bilayers

The Properties of Ion Channels Formed by the Coumarin Antibiotic, Novobiocin, in Lipid Bilayers

A M Feigin, E V Aronov, J H Teeter, J G Brand

Biochim Biophys Acta. 1995 Mar 8;1234(1):43-51.

PMID: 7533542

Abstract:

The coumarin antibiotic novobiocin forms ion channels of varying conductances in lipid bilayers. The conductances (about 20, 22, 14, 7 and 2 pS for 100 mM NH4Cl, CsCl, KCl, NaCl and LiCl, respectively) and selectivities (cation transference numbers in the range of 0.97-0.98) of one type of novobiocin-induced channel are similar to those found for channels formed by gramicidin A, an antibiotic of very different structure. The conductance of novobiocin channels of this type was independent of the species of the membrane lipid. This observation suggests that novobiocin molecules directly form these channels, and that channels are not formed through defects in lipid structure. The similarity in conductance and ion selectivity between channels induced by novobiocin and those formed by gramicidin A suggests that these structurally different molecules form channels with comparable internal diameter and internal surface charge distribution. Using HPLC purification we argue that the channel-forming activity of novobiocin is related to the activity of the novobiocin molecule itself, and not to a contaminant of the commercially available novobiocin sodium salt preparation.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
AP1476535	Novobiocin sodium salt		1476-53-5	Price

As a specialist in analytical chemical Products, Alfa Chemistry offers consumers a wealth of raw materials and a full range of technologies and services.

QUICK LINKS

HEADQUARTERS

Tel:

Fax:

Email: